Hello folks,

this is also interesting (and topical) :

Does optimism protect against heart disease?

It is not surprising that a predisposition to optimism protects people from depression. A new study has summarized the research on optimism and heart disease. Dr. Rose Shaw, a psychotherapist from Munich, presents a press release from the publisher of a study from April 2012 on the Psychologie Aktuell blog, whose authors believe that optimism could be used for therapy.
Positive emotions protect against heart disease Optimism, happiness and other positive emotions can protect a person against heart disease, as they reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. This was shown in a study by researchers at Harvard University.
These factors, which play a role in mental well-being, can apparently also slow down the progression of existing cardiovascular diseases. This is the result of the first and largest systematic review of its kind, which was published online in the April issue of Psychological Bulletin. The authors of the study are Julia Boehm, a research associate in the working group, and Laura Kubzansky, a lecturer in the Department of Society, Human Development and Health at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) in Boston, Massachusetts.

Anxiety, anger and depression damage the heart According to the American Heart Association, one person dies of cardiovascular disease every 39 seconds in the USA. Numerous studies have shown that negative moods such as anxiety, hostility, anger and depression can damage the heart, the two authors explain. However, much less is known about the connection between positive moods and cardiovascular disease. In a statement to the press, Julia Boehm points out that a person who is not in a negative state of mind is not automatically in a positive one. The results of her study show that: "...factors such as optimism, life satisfaction and happiness are associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. This effect is independent of other factors such as a person's age, socioeconomic status, smoking or body weight." "The most optimistic people, for example, had a 50 percent lower risk of developing a new cardiovascular disease than their less optimistic peers," she adds.

Source: http://aktuelleinfo24.blogspot.de/p/schutzt-optimismus-vor-herzkrankheiten.html

Stay healthy!